Only One Man Will Do (15 page)

She nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“Or accepted comfort from anyone for your pain?”

“Yes.” Her voice sounded unusually soft also.

Dmitri took a deep breath. “I want to be here when you need me,
Sashka
. I want to lessen your pain by sharing it with you and I want to celebrate your joys with you. I want to be all the man you need.”

“You do, don’t you?” Her eyes reflected wonder.

He nodded.

She reached a hand further up onto the back of his head and pulled him down so she could touch her lips to his.

Steady! Keep yourself together! Don’t attack her while she’s still fragile.

Obviously Alexandra didn’t realize she was still fragile. Her other arm moved up and she plastered her naked breasts against Dmitri’s chest as her kiss gained in intensity. Her lips pressed against his harder and she began to moan. She licked at his lips and he opened his mouth in surprise, only to have her push her tongue in to duel with his.

Dmitri was so busy responding to her he didn’t notice she’d slid off of his lap to sit on the bed until she pulled him down to lie on top of her. Then all thinking became impossible as they tore at his clothing, both of them intent on getting him naked as soon as possible.

Alexandra slipped his T-shirt up, licking and biting at his nipples, while her hands worked on his zipper. Dmitri reared up and pulled off his shirt, then rolled onto his back to finish pulling his pants down his hips, tossing them onto the floor.

When he looked back over at Alexandra, her hands pushed the sides of her breasts together to make spectacular cleavage he had to dive into. He fastened his mouth onto the nipple closest to him and sucked it in, clamping his lips down on it and teasing the tip in his mouth with his tongue. Alexandra moaned as he reached his hand over to cup the other breast in his palm, then his fingers pinched and rolled the other nipple.

Her hands traced along his sides down to his hips, where one hand sought for and enclosed the pulsating prick that wept with joy at her attention. It was Dmitri’s turn to moan as he allowed Alexandra to pull him on top of her. He positioned himself between her legs and pushed into her. It took all his strength to resist the urge to plunge himself deeply into her all at once.

“Yes!” She hissed as her body stretched to accommodate him. “That’s what I’ve needed! That’s what I want! I want you, Dmitri! Just you!”

Hearing what he had wanted her to say for so long made him crazy and he forgot he was trying to be gentle. His hands gripped her hips and he shoved himself forward forcefully. Fearing he was hurting her, he looked up at her face. Her eyes were closed tightly and her mouth was open in a huge smile as she shrieked.

“Yes! Oh yes! That’s what I need! That’s what I’ve been missing! Ride me hard, Dmitri! Ride me until I can’t feel anything except you! Until I can’t think of anything but you! Until all there is for me is you! You and…” She panted. “Just a little bit over to this side…you sweet mother-fucking miracle-man! Dmitre-ee-ee-ah!”

She pushed over the edge to tremble with the intensity of the orgasms that wracked her body. Her arms were stretched out to the side and her nails tore at the sheets as she reared up off the bed. She screamed as her inner walls pulsated and squeezed. Dmitri had no choice but to pull her close one last time, their pelvises glued tightly together as he felt himself lose control to the intense spasms that reached deep into his soul and milked the burning fluids out of him…the ultimate act of claiming the woman for himself, marking her as his. He roared out his pleasure as they bucked against each other, each lost in their own bliss, yet each aware of the connection between their bodies.

With a final groan, Dmitri collapsed forward, unable to hold himself up anymore. Alexandra screamed one last time then was silent. Her blood was pounding so fast, Dmitri could watch her pulse beating against the skin of her neck. He opened his mouth and licked at her pulse, tasting the saltiness of her sweat along with what his tongue recognized as his favorite flavor of woman. With a massive effort, Dmitri rolled over onto his back, pulling her with him.

Alexandra giggled. “How can you still be hard enough to be inside of me after an orgasm like that?”

Dmitri shrugged, the movement making her head bounce on his chest.

“See what you do to me? I don’t need any recovery time with you. I want you again as soon as we’re done.”

He twitched consciously, to prove his words. She responded by squeezing him tightly, then releasing until he grew even harder.

“God,” Alexandra panted, “I’ve missed having you in my bed. I’ve missed your arms holding me. We need to make up for lost time.”

They spent some time doing just that, rediscovering just how much they both enjoyed each other. Much later, after they had eaten the pizza they had delivered and finished a chilled bottle of her favorite Italian sparkling wine, they soaked for a short time in the Jacuzzi. They relaxed against their respective sides of the tub until they felt waterlogged. They retired to the bedroom to once again express their unmitigated joy at being together.

Afterwards, Dmitri returned from the bathroom to find Alexandra lying on her stomach, smiling at him as he walked back to the bed.

“Now that’s a sight I’ve been seeing in all of my dreams lately,” she began.

“What?”

“You walking naked back to my bed.”

Dmitri smiled as he climbed onto the bed and moved closer to her. “Do you want a back-rub? You’ve been under a huge amount of pressure lately. I’m offering my services, my lady.”

Alexandra patted his thigh. “As long as you don’t get upset if I fall asleep. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately, and it’s been filled with nightmares and anxiety dreams. Having you next to me will hopefully allow me to relax enough to actually get a good night’s rest.”

Dmitri positioned himself almost sitting on her upper thighs as he began to massage her shoulders.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding. Your shoulders are knotted. It’s going to take me a while to get these muscles to relax. You just lie there and enjoy while I work them.”

His fingers massaged the shoulder muscles until they softened a bit, then he traveled down her back, then back up along the spine. On his second time on her shoulders, he was rewarded by feeling them relaxing more easily. But he was amused when her entire body twitched suddenly.

“Am I hurting you,
Sashka
?”

No answer. He leaned over to inhale the scent of her hair once again, and heard a quiet snore.

“Ah, you have fallen asleep, my love. Good. Rest easy, knowing your man is here and I will slay any dragons that might attempt to disturb you.”

He rolled over to her side and pulled her closer into his arms. He buried his nose in her hair and breathed in deeply.

And I will rest easy knowing you are finally realizing you don’t need anyone else except me. A hard-won victory, but one I will cherish forever. My Sashka.

Alexandra’s eyes popped open on Sunday morning and she sniffed the air, certain the intoxicating smell of bacon was what had woken her up. She stretched luxuriously, every part of her body feeling relaxed and comfortable. She knew without looking Dmitri had already risen, so after she visited the bathroom she padded down the hall, following the smell of food, to look for him.

She found Dmitri bent over to put a pan in the oven. Alexandra let out a wolf whistle. He shut the oven door and turned to smile at her.

“Was that for me, Ma’am?”

“Why, yes it was, Mister. That’s one fine-looking ass you have there, on display for me. But one question: aren’t you afraid to fry bacon
au naturale
? I mean those tiny splatters of grease could really hurt some delicate areas.”

Dmitri grinned wider. “Thanks for your concern. But I cooked the bacon in the oven while I got everything else ready. I ran out earlier while you were still getting your beauty sleep and I picked up some food for today.”

“I presume you had to put on clothes to do that?”

“Of course, but I stripped as soon as I got back, then got to cooking. I was going to come in soon to wake you with a cup of coffee, and we would have some time to enjoy each other before the
strata
is ready.”

“Oh? My bad! Forget you saw me at all. I’m really still in bed, awaiting my morning coffee.”

She turned and walked quickly down the hall to hurl herself onto the bed. She pulled the sheet up and over her breasts and lay back on the pillow, pretending to be asleep.

A few minutes later, Dmitri entered the room with the coffeepot, two cups, and a small bottle of cream for her coffee. He placed everything on the nightstand next to the bed and poured coffee into both cups before crawling onto the bed to nuzzle Alexandra’s neck.

“Your coffee has arrived,
Sashka
and we have about forty-five minutes to amuse ourselves. Whatever shall we do with the time?”

She reached up both arms and pulled him on top of her, her hands roaming down to massage his butt cheeks as she writhed under him. In response he moved against her, feeling himself aching with desire for the woman he never seemed to be able to get enough of.

They made good use of the time they had, then enjoyed breakfast sitting naked out on the balcony terrace outside her bedroom. They toasted each other with mimosas and coffee, and enjoyed the sunshine that streamed over them.

The rest of the day was just as spectacular. Dmitri had bought dinner supplies and he grilled pork tenderloin Russian-style, which they enjoyed with grilled potatoes and a fresh beet salad with blue cheese. They never bothered to put on any clothing and simply enjoyed being with each other.

* * * *

It was with great difficulty that Alexandra forced herself to go to work on Monday morning and Dmitri drove off to continue working on the mysterious business he had referred to a few times.

Alexandra was busy doing research for a new client when her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Is this Alexandra Blackstone?” The voice sounded vaguely familiar.

“Yes. You called me at work, so you must have known that. What can I do for you?”

“This is Detective Mark Jones again, Miss Blackstone. I would like for you to stop by the station this morning, if you can work it into your schedule.”

“What is this about, Detective? Do you have any news about the hit and run driver who killed Tom?”

The Detective cleared his throat. “Ahem…I’d rather speak to you in my office, if you don’t mind.”

“Well I do mind because I have a pretty busy day going here, Detective.”

“When do you take your lunch break?”

Alexandra sighed. “Usually at one, when my secretary is done with hers. Oh, very well. I’ll be there shortly after one. Is it alright with you if I bring my lunch with me?”

“By all means. I often eat at my desk, so it won’t be the first time food has been around here. See you then, Miss Blackstone.”

Somehow Alexandra kept her mind on her work enough to get some things accomplished before she took a late lunch at 1:30. Then she remembered she needed to eat in the police station. She went through the drive-through window of her favorite local sub sandwich place, then strode into the station on a mission: eat her lunch and get the detective to leave her alone at work.

The man was on the phone as she approached his desk, so she walked up to take the seat she’d been in before. She put her bottle of water on the desk and the bag of food next to it, then carefully unwrapped her sandwich and began to eat. He gave her a grim smile, but continued his conversation. She spent the time looking around at the busy, noisy and unpleasant surroundings and silently thanked her dad for being a businessman who wanted her to follow in his footsteps, not a cop.

“Later,” the detective said, clicking his phone off and turning to look at her.

“Thank you for your time, Miss Blackstone. I know you are a busy woman.”

“Yes, I am. So get to the point. Why did you need to talk to me here?”

“Did you know a man named Jim Richmond?”

“Yes, of course I know…wait, you said
did
, didn’t you? Why?”

“Because he was found on the street in front of a store he regularly serviced on Saturday afternoons. Apparently he was the victim of a drive-by shooting, but we haven’t been able to find any eye-witnesses yet.”

Alexandra stopped chewing to stare in disbelief at the officer.

“He was shot? Is he…?”

He shook his head. “He was declared DOA by the emergency room when they got him there. His customer had gone into the store carrying the first load of groceries he was delivering, and when he got back out into the street he found Jim’s body next to his truck.”

Alexandra sat in stunned silence for a few minutes before a tear rolled down her face.

The detective cleared his throat. “So I take it he was one of your gang of motorcycle riders?”

Alexandra nodded, still dazed.

“How long have you known him?”

“He’s been riding with me for about five years…almost as long as I’ve called my friends who ride with me on weekends, my
gang
.”

The detective offered her a box of tissues, but Alexandra used one of the napkins on her lap to wipe her eyes.

“I’m sorry to have to ask you this again, but do you know anyone who might have wanted Jim Richmond dead? Did he have any enemies? Was he in any fights or arguments lately?”

Alexandra let out a snort that ended in a sob.

“Jim? When
wasn’t
he getting himself into fights and arguments? He was just that kind of guy. He liked to spar and he liked to fight. But in a clincher, he’s the one you want guarding your back. He’ll make sure you’re okay and the other guy is the one sent to the hospital. That’s the kind of man Jim was.”

She sat silently for a few moments, wiping her eyes before she blew her nose.

“Wait a minute. You’re asking me the same questions you asked about Tom. You don’t think their deaths were random accidents?”

Detective Jones stared at her intently, as if watching her every reaction.

“I’m not sure what to think yet, at this point. But it does seem odd that two men who were known to you…who were a part of a weekend motorcycle gang with you, were killed within twenty-four hours of each other.”

Alexandra took a long drink from her water bottle, ignoring her discarded sandwich.

“Do you have any suspects?”

“No. That’s why I wanted to ask you first. You’re the leader of this gang. I figured that if anyone knew of enemies of these guys, it would be you.”

Alexandra shook her head slowly.

“Can you tell me where you were Saturday afternoon, Miss Blackstone?”

Her eyes opened wide as she shook her head.

“Um…no. I was freaked out after I talked with you here, so I went home and changed into my riding gear, then I hit the road. I rode for hours, with no destination in mind. I just wanted to feel the road and the wind in my face.”

“I did ask you not to leave town, if you will remember…”

“But I wasn’t leaving town. I was just riding to empty my head of bad unpleasant thoughts.”

“I see. Was anyone else riding with you?”

“No. The whole point was to get away from everything and everyone. So I was alone. There were no witnesses, unless you can find some of the guys who whistled at me as I rode by them, or the truckers who kept blowing their horns and yelling obscene invitations at me to meet them at the next truck-stop.”

The man’s lips curled upwards then he quickly rearranged his face back to its solemn neutrality.

“I’m sure anyone on the road would remember
you
riding by. If we need to find witnesses, we’ll check some trucker companies for driving records.”

“But you have no other clues or leads to go on?”

“Not yet. But we’re working on it.”

Alexandra looked at her forgotten sandwich with distaste. She re-wrapped it and stuffed it into the bag it had come in, then she rose.

“Are we done here? I do have a job I need to get back to.”

Detective Jones rose also. “Yes, we’re done…for now. But like I said before, don’t leave town.”

“You’ll call me if you find out anything?”

“I’ll call you if I have any more questions, from any of the leads we are following up on.”

Alexandra grimaced. “Not the same thing, but it’ll have to do. Good-bye, Detective Jones. Nothing personal, but I hope I don’t see you again very soon.”

He nodded. “I understand. Good-bye, Miss Blackstone.”

This time Alexandra felt too defeated to swing her hips around on the way out the door. Her thoughts were like squirrels running loose in her head.

Losing two of my closest friends to random violence so close together is bad enough. But the idea that someone might have killed them on purpose is beyond unsettling. What kind of twisted fuck would kill sweet, innocent Tom?

She had trouble concentrating on her job for the rest of the afternoon. It wasn’t helped by the knowledge she had to head to the wake for Tom after she left her office. She had purposely worn a dark suit for that reason.

She parked her SUV in the ample lot at the funeral home. She looked around and recognized the bikes there, so at least she’d have friends to talk to, instead of having to spend all of her time making awkward yet polite conversation with Tom’s mother and brother.

Hell, they might blame me for this. After all, if Tom hadn’t joined my gang, this might not have happened! I wish this was a nightmare so I could wake up.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door. She looked around and saw an officious man heading towards her. He was dressed like any other funeral director she’d ever seen, in a conservative, tailored dark suit. He’d been talking to some people spilling out of one of the chapels, but obviously wanted to be the one to direct her himself.

“Can I help you, Miss?” He asked with an unctuous smile.

“I’m looking for the wake for Tom Taylor.”

“He’s in the smaller chapel in the back. I could take you there…”

She shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. I’m sure I can find it. In fact I see someone I know now. Thanks.”

Alexandra walked quickly to be enfolded into Dmitri’s arms.

“I’m so glad you’re here! This is going to be hard,” she said, swallowing a hard lump in her throat.

“I know,
Sashka
. I wouldn’t make you face this alone.”

She looked up into his eyes, finding them filled with compassion and tenderness. He bent his head down to touch his lips to hers. The zing of electricity shot through her body down to her toes, then raced back up to settle between her legs. She enjoyed the sensation, but realized it had to be ignored.

“Thanks.”

He inclined his head to indicate the room they were about to enter.

“Many of the gang are already here. Emma was hoping to catch you before you walked in. Tom doesn’t look like you remember him, so be strong.”

She shot a quick look at him. “They never look like they did when alive.”

He nodded. “True.”

She entered the room and deliberately strode directly over to the open casket. Since she was forewarned, she didn’t gasp with surprise at how unlike the sandy-haired young man he looked. Tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered the many moments of pleasure they had shared. She reached forward to touch his hands and steeled herself for the coldness of the flesh. She stood still for a moment.

Dmitri stood silently and protectively behind her. She was grateful for his strength and solid presence, which her body seemed hyper aware of even though he made no sound.

Finally Alexandra took a deep breath and used both hands to unbutton the top few buttons of her blouse. She reached a hand down into her bra and pulled out a scarf that was a riot of colors: blues, teals, greens, all swirled around on a soft, opaque silk square. She held it up to her nose and breathed in, then she leaned over and trailed it across Tom’s face. She ignored the gasps from behind Dmitri, and carefully folded the scarf into a tiny square, then placed it into the breast pocket of the last jacket Tom would ever wear.